With Every Breath (Slow Burn 4)

“Fuck!” Jones said explosively.

Wade’s heart bottomed out and he closed his eyes, dreading what Jones would say next.

“Tell me,” Wade said lifelessly, dread encompassing his soul.

“She’s not here, man,” Jones said, worry and anger edging his voice. “I have no idea how the fuck she got by us. She left two sealed envelopes on the counter. One with your name and one with Dane’s name.”

“You have got to be shitting me!” Wade exploded. “How the fuck could you let this happen?”

“We had the entire house cased,” Jones said grimly. “But your girl is good. You know that. She’s trained.”

“Get the goddamn letters and meet us in town. Now!” Wade barked.

“Tell me where and we’ll be there double time.”

Wade thought a moment and then chose the most central location, one that would hopefully not put them too far from finding Eliza, wherever the fuck she was, and barked his order for where Jones was to meet them.

When he ended the call, Dane stared him down, fury and worry that went bone deep etched into his every feature.

“Tell me she hasn’t disappeared,” Dane said in a pissed off voice. “Goddamn it, Sterling. You swore to keep her safe!”

“If your men hadn’t fucked up and let Harrington give you the slip, we wouldn’t be having this goddamn conversation,” Wade bit out. “We’ve got to move out now. Get your men so we can meet with Jones.”

Dane flinched and then briefly closed his eyes, his grief evident. But then Wade didn’t blame him considering the last letter she’d left that amounted to little more than a goodbye before embarking on a suicide mission.

“We can’t afford to wait to read the letters to act,” Wade said grimly. “We need every man you’ve got on this. I need to know everything about Thomas Harrington we can unearth. Any houses or property in his name. Anyone affiliated with him. Eliza told me one of the Devereaux brothers is a computer whiz and can hack into just about anything. We need to get him on Harrington and leave no stone unturned. Pay particular attention to the time he spent in prison and find out if he had visitors, contact with the outside world and if anything seems suspicious or if he received any special treatment while in prison. We already know he got to one of the police officers who investigated the case and was instrumental in gathering the evidence that put Harrington away for life. Look for any other irregularities. Anything. We’re operating blind here and we need every piece of intel on the bastard we can get. He has Eliza. I know it. He purposely lured us here so he’d have a clear path to Eliza and we took the bait, hook, line and sinker.”

“Let’s roll,” Dane said harshly.

Wade didn’t wait around for Dane to gather his men. He ran to his SUV, threw himself behind the steering wheel and pushed the vehicle to its very limits, knowing every precious minute counted.

He roared into town, screeching to a halt just as his men pulled to the back of the diner in a convoy of three vehicles. Wade was out of the seat before the SUV came to a complete halt, killing the engine and causing the vehicle to rock violently with the force applied to the brakes. He wasted no time stalking over to Jones and yanking the envelopes from his grasp.

Just seeing Eliza’s hastily scrawled address, his name, on the paper filled him with anguish. His hands shook violently as he tore it open to reveal the contents. As he pulled the single piece of paper from the envelope, headlights illuminated the area and bounced erratically as Dane and his crew roared up.

Dane got out and rushed over, taking the envelope Jones extended. Wade paid no attention to the others as he unfolded the letter and sucked in a deep breath as he began to read.

Wade, I know you’ll be angry that I snuck away and broke my promise to you to stay at the safe house and let you take care of Thomas. I’m sorry, but I had no choice. He called me. I have no idea how he knew my number but he obviously set up a diversion to lead you and Dane in the wrong direction. He told me he had already chosen his next victim and that she was with him now but that I could save her by trading myself for her, that he would let her go if I would come to him. He knows about you or Dane, maybe both, because he wouldn’t tell me the address over the phone. He told me to leave and he’d text me the address. I couldn’t call you for two reasons. You would have had your men lock me down and you would have gone instead of me. And when I didn’t show, he would have killed her. I had no other option. And I couldn’t live with myself if another woman dies because of me. I just can’t. Please understand that I can’t sit back and do nothing. I don’t want to die. I have too much to live for now. I will do everything I can to survive, to take him down. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it back to you. I love you. You taught me the true beauty of love and the difference between love and obsession. For the first time in my life, I was loved, truly loved, and I felt loved. You gave me the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. I have to try to save her, Wade, and I hope you’ll forgive me if I live to beg for your forgiveness. Always and forever. Eliza.

Tears burned like acid, blurring his vision. His chest ached. His heart hurt so damn much and he was sick to his soul. His beautiful, courageous, brave, compassionate Eliza. A woman who had no idea of her worth or how very loved she was, how very deserving of love she was. Dear God. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t survive it. He had to find her fast.

He glanced up to see that Dane fared no better, the letter Eliza had written him shaking like a leaf in his trembling grasp. Sorrow and grief were so evident on his face that it was as if she’d already died, as though the letters were notifying them of her death.

Fuck that. He would not lose her. Not now. Not ever.

“If everyone doesn’t get that fucking look off their faces right the fuck now, swear to God, I’ll kill every damn one of you,” Wade said furiously. “We have not lost her. I have not lost her. Now snap the fuck out of it and give me anything you’ve got and you better have something, Elliot.”

Dane’s expression lost the despair and fiery determination ignited in his eyes.

“I have a list of houses, a few businesses and property he owns in a fifty-mile radius. Given the short amount of time between when he entered the house we had under surveillance and when Eliza disappeared, they have to be somewhere close. We divide up, divvy out the locations and hit them as quickly as possible.”